What's On Your Nightstand?

Thanksgiving Photos 07

Dan cooked all morning and I tried to set the mood...

The guest list started at four and ended up with twelve adults and one adorable baby:

The most challenging part of hosting dinner was providing the right food for everyone--vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, omnivore...

(Full menu to be posted by Dan later...!)

Dough Pinch

Dan took away my credit cards. And we both have to have an emergency on our hands in order to use them. (That qualifies as something greater than: Our favorite band is playing the Crystal Ballroom! or I want a new shower curtain! or Let's take a trip...!) Well, because we are exposed now as credit card-mongers, I have to ask.... How do people do it? How do normal people NOT use credit cards or NOT get into credit card debt? And if they have squished you, how do you pay them off without selling your soul? Just wondering.... I should go now because Rocco is frantically fighting off the vacuum.

Favorite Spot in Our Little Home:

Seriously. Have I said this before? I spend TOO MUCH TIME in our bed. Sleeping. Reading. Watching TV. Cuddling with my boys. It takes all holy hell to get me out of that bed in the morning--unlike Dan, who flies out of bed at the first sound of the alarm and immediately starts his day. When I get to sleep in, I could easily hang out in the bed til 2 in the afternoon. I have a VERY hard time crawling out of this cotton cocoon....

When we married, the only piece of furniture we had with us as we moved to Portland was a queen size bed, a welcome upgrade from the twin bed I had made him share with me. I still remember the second night in Portland when we finally had the bed moved in and set up, layered with a feather bed on top, loaded down with scrumptious new pillows, and I sank into the spacious goodness that was comfortable sleep.

I must admit, three years into this marriage, as much as I LOVE my husband AND the bed, it quite possibly has become the only major source of contention in my mind. Why? Because I married a man who is six foot three inches tall and weighs twice as much as me. And there's a dog and cat that think they need to sleep with us, too!

With minimal space allowed for myself (see diagram 1), and some snoring and meowing, it's really not uncommon for me to resort to moving to the couch in order to fall asleep at night, and then waking up around 3 and blindly finding my way back to the bedroom. Usually Dan has no idea, but recently he woke to find that I was snuggled up and snoring on the couch, and he felt slightly disappointed to find out this happens more often than he thought.

IN FACT, I'm beginning to wonder if my predisposition toward spending as much time in bed during daylight as possible could ACTUALLY be a treatment to suffering withdrawal at nighttime. Hmm.


(Diagram 1)



In order to continue to truly enjoy my most favorite spot in our little home, I do think the time has come to invest in a KING SIZE BED, No? If you would like to support my effort, please feel free to send donations to our address.

[P.S. Comforter found during a mega-sale at Anthropologie, and headboard was handmade --a plywood plank painted white--!]

Fill It In

10 Real Random Facts About Me:

1: One of my eyes is bigger than the other.
2: I lie about little things that don’t matter if I think it will make the story I am telling a little bit better.
3: I refuse cheese.
4: I have purchased something from an infomercial at 3:30 a.m.
5: I am pseudo-ambidextrous.
7: I have ten different syndromes simultaneously happening inside my body.
8: Sometimes I forget to brush my teeth or comb my hair or blow my nose.
9: One of my boobs is bigger than the other.
10: I write lots of stories.

9 Ways to Win My Heart:

1. Give me a nickname.
2. Don’t hit me.
3. Love my dog and cat.
4. Quote funny movie lines.
5. Massage my foot or hand or head.
6. Hand me that beer.
7. Be okay with my quiet and my loud.
8. Defend me when someone talks shit about me. Even if they are right.
9. Write me a letter!

8 Things I Carry/Wear Everyday

1. Diamonds
2. Undies
3. Cell phone
4. Lighter
5. Smokes
6. Keys
7. Pills
8. Debit card

7 Things That Annoy Me

1. Over-reactors
2. Waking up and not being able to fall back asleep
3. Fruit flies
4. Poor circulation
5. When people use cell phones at inappropriate times
6. Junk mail
7. The person in the room that talks too much


6 Things I Want to do Before I Die:

1. Write a complete manuscript for a novel.
2. Write a complete manuscript for a short story collection.
3. Write a complete manuscript for a memoir.
4. Write a complete screenplay.
5. Start my own business.
6. Be a mama.

5 Places I Have Lived:

1. Washington, Illinois - My whole life.
2. Goshen, Indiana - Amish country, three years at college.
3. Portland, Oregon - The longest honeymoon ever.
4. Chicago, Illinois - Just two years. Go Bears.
5. Sherwood, Oregon - Married life: Kickin’ it in the 'Wood.

4 Things I am Afraid Of:

1. Snakes
2. Debt
3. Ghosts
4. Losing loved ones

3 Things I Do Everyday:

1. Swallow pills
2. Tell Dan I love him
3. Daydream

2 Things I’m Trying Not To Do:

1. Gain weight
2. Shop

1 Person I Want to See Now:

1. Jennifer Aniston. I hear she’s in town.

Hi, my name is:
Leah

When I'm nervous:
I feel like I’m going to puke

The last song I listened to:
Something by Enya

By this time next year:
I will have received my BA in English Literature & Writing

I have a hard time understanding:
Calculus

If I won an award, the first person I would tell:
My imaginary friend

Take my advice:
Laugh more.

Most recent thing I've bought myself:
Soup & a sandwich

Most recent thing someone else bought me:
My sister bought me a tablecloth that I loved.

My favorite hair style:
Longer than it is now.

My middle name is:
Ruth

In the morning I:
Am always running late.

Last night I:
Started reading a new book.

If I was an animal I'd be a:
Cat

A better name for me would be:
Awnie

Tomorrow I am:
Going to work

Tonight I am:
Hanging out with my boys

The 7 people I miss the most are:
Right now? Hattie, Allyson, Megan, Rachel, Corey, Kate, Jim…I guess I should be in Illinois!

My favorite color(s):
Recently, orange

My heart is:
Wistful

Holiday Season Is Upon Us

Web Vote Alert!!!! Web Vote Alert!!!!! So my lady friend and I were discussing when to put up the Christmas Tree. I have held steadfast that the tree can go up no sooner than the day after Thanksgiving. My lady friend wanted to put it up last weekend. When is it too early to put up the Christmas Tree? Please discuss........

The Greatest Combination Ever That Speaks to My Early Adolescence

Montage of Russian gymnasts.

Video: gymnasflipz
Music: Bonnie Tyler